Hey guys quick query. I have had a couple of agencies get in touch regarding registering with them. Looking on their websites a few have work but immediate start. The thing is I’m currently employed and would need to work my notice. The question is is that the norm with agency work that it is short notice work or would they wait for you to work your notice■■?
Agencies will give you lots of promises to get you on their books but the reality is often very different
Agree with Rog, I’d be very careful in what I believe from agencies. It’s probably worth registering with them anyway but tell them your current situation and you’re not in a position to jack in your job just yet but would maybe be interested in some driving work when you are not working in your other job - WTD allowing.
andy_s:
Agree with Rog, I’d be very careful in what I believe from agencies. It’s probably worth registering with them anyway but tell them your current situation and you’re not in a position to jack in your job just yet but would maybe be interested in some driving work when you are not working in your other job - WTD allowing.
WTD has no bearing if the current job is not driving as driving and non driving WTDs are different and they do not get added together
EU rest rules are another matter
Welshy74:
Hey guys quick query. I have had a couple of agencies get in touch regarding registering with them. Looking on their websites a few have work but immediate start. The thing is I’m currently employed and would need to work my notice. The question is is that the norm with agency work that it is short notice work or would they wait for you to work your notice■■?
I believe that you’re a new driver is which case I would not advise giving up a full time job for agency work.
Register with some agencies and do a bit of agency driving on your days off, this way you’ll have the security of your regular job while earning some extra money and gaining experience as a HGV driver, that’s a win win situation for you 
As far as the WTD is concerned, if your current employer is likely to have a problem with doing driving work on the side you can be assured that we won’t tell them if you don’t 
Agree with the above. In my experience I’ve found some agencies are advertising jobs that simply don’t exist, just to get you onto their books. Typically those same agencies also advertise Driver training too.
Have a look on the agency’s own job board on their site for that branch, if the same jobs have been re-advertised for months, using the same word for word in the ads, it’s probable those jobs don’t exist.
That’s just my experience of agency branches local to me, your local branches might be much better
It’s with Acorn. Was offered a week next week but need to work notice first. But he knows all that so fingers crossed
Tachograph is spot on with what he says about not giving up full time work for agencies!
When i first got some plant tickets i did a bit of agency work on holiday from main job to see how i got on and get a bit of experience if i didn’t like it or was no good it was no harm no foul go back to work carry on as normal.
If you want to dip your toe just sign up with a few agencies and let them know when your free to work and hope you get a bit of work and experience that way if you don’t get on or don’t like it still got your current job to rely on! Or if you enjoy it and can’t get enough crack on driver!
Definitely a good suggestion from tachograph. Don’t leave your permanent job i have passed my class 2 couple of years now and did some part time work between my off days but still i am not leaving my current job as yet before i do my class 1 which i failed one time last year. 14 faults with 2 serious and it was on Auto lol.
Agency’s tell you yes course we have work,get you on their books to make the numbers up then its a case of"be by yr phone we have lots of work" then never ring.
As for giving up a permanent job for agency work,Worked full time for Brakes did my class 1 then went to agency for BHs and poundland,usual wait for the phone to ring got to the stage where I signed on for 4 months over the summer (got £780 a month thro JSA and housing benefit so paid for me to be at home,beer fishing etc) then back to poundland in September till January agency took on permanent and been full time 3 years now,yes it was a gamble but I was lucky and it worked out,so it can be done.
Plenty of “what am I doing or am I really that stupid ?”
Welshy74:
The question is is that the norm with agency work that it is short notice work or would they wait for you to work your notice■■?
They are very unlikely to wait for someone to work their notice to place them in a position unless it’s extremely specialised, since the client wants a driver for X dates and their job is to find the first person to fill that roll.
As for “immediate starts”, that seems to be one of the usual things they put on the adverts, which are almost always generic and don’t actually apply to a specific job or at least one they will place you in. Obviously they can’t say who the client is, but you’ll pretty much never get placed in the job that they actually advertise.
Best time of year to quit and go agency is March by the looks of things as anything before that is slow, unless the client already knows you then sometimes you’ll get more work, but even when you’ve proven yourself over many months it’s still not a brilliant time of year to be on agency until the March pickup. My bank account knows all about it! 
Edit: Forgot, the short notice bit - you could get phoned up at 4am and asked if you can get somewhere an hours drive from your house, in about 45 minutes…has happened a few times to me, and thats with one of the better agencies. Also don’t forget, you don’t get any sickness benefits and injuries aren’t uncommon with class 2 multidrop especially - got the limp to prove it after a taillift accident.
’
Got to agree with other posts on here, don’t ditch your permanent job for agency work, it’s just not reliable if you’ve got bills to pay. Agencies are salesman, they will promise you work to get you signed up then not deliver their promises.